Decorated panel, method for its production and system for carrying out this method

Abstract

The present invention refers to a decorated panel composed as follows: a substrate; a decorative layer applied to at least part of the substrate; a photo-crosslinkable formulation applied directly or indirectly on a part of the substrate and/or on the decorative layer, that is, with the interposition of further layers of intermediate material on at least a part of the substrate and in one or more layers, containing at least one photo-crosslinkable resin; at least one thermoplastic resin; at least one polymerization initiator including but not limited to UV photoinitiators, organic peroxides, Electron Beam.

The invention claimed is: 
     
         1 . A decorated panel comprising:
 a substrate;   a decorative layer applied to at least part of the substrate; and   a photo cross-linked formulation applied directly or indirectly on a part of the said substrate and/or on a decorative layer, optionally with interposed intermediate layers, the formulation containing:
 at least one light crosslinkable resin; 
 at least one thermoplastic resin; and 
 at least one polymerization initiator including UV photoinitiators, organic peroxides, or Electron Beam initiators, 
 wherein at least one of said layers is a wear and/or scratch resistant layer, 
 wherein the combination of the at least one photo-crosslinkable resin with the at least one thermoplastic resin provides thermoplastic behavior that elastically compensates for differential thermal shrinkage between the coating and the substrate, and 
 wherein at least one of said layers is textured to form a three-dimensional surface. 
   
     
     
         2 . The panel according to  claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises at least two opposite faces, and at least one wear and/or scratch resistant layer is applied to one of said faces. 
     
     
         3 . The panel according to  claim 1 , wherein the resin is selected from cationic, radical, or mixed-mode systems. 
     
     
         4 . The panel according to  claim 1 , wherein resin includes non-crosslinkable components such as epoxy, polyurethane, acrylic resins, or their mixtures. 
     
     
         5 . The panel according to  claim 1 , wherein the undergoes dual-cure polymerization. 
     
     
         6 . The panel according to  claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic resin is selected from: polybenzimidazole (PBI), polycarbonate (PC), polyethylene (PE), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS) or polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride (PVC), polyamide (PA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polylactic acid (PLA), polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), polyethersulfone (PES), polyoxymethylene (POM), polyvinyl acetate (PVAC), ethylene vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA), or mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The panel according to  claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic resin is present between 1% and its solubility limit in the formulation. 
     
     
         8 . The panel according to  claim 1 , wherein the thermoplastic resin is dispersed in the crosslinkable matrix. 
     
     
         9 . The panel according to  claim 1 , wherein the formulation further comprises at least one additive from: water, solvents, surfactants, plasticizers, UV stabilizers, antioxidants, defoamers, biocides, dyes, pigments, aluminum oxide, or mixtures thereof. 
     
     
         10 . The panel according to  claim 1 , wherein the wear and/or scratch resistant formulation is textured. 
     
     
         11 . The panel according to  claim 1 , wherein the decoration layer is applied by digital printing. 
     
     
         12 . The decorated panel according to  claim 1 , wherein the decorated panel is optionally heat treated. 
     
     
         13 . The panel according to  claim 12 , wherein the surface becomes opaque after heat treatment. 
     
     
         14 . The decorated panel according to  claim 1 , wherein the substrate comprises plastic, wood, wood-derived material (HDF/MDF), metal, fiber cement, ceramic or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         15 . The decorated panel according  claim 1 , used for architectural coverings, floors and furniture.